


A Deal

by Anonymous



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person, Romance, Slow Burn, mild violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27293194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: For generations family had maintained a vast collection of every book and text that had crossed into the isles. From ancient magic techniques to human dramas- you had it all. However this often brought unwanted attention from those power hungry enough. Bandits, thieves, kings- all had once sent forces to find you. It was only a matter of time before one of them Found you.Thankfully, the people they employ aren’t always as bad.
Relationships: Lilith Clawthorne/Reader
Comments: 9
Kudos: 82
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Messy Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> Heya y’all, what’s up it’s me the OP. Here’s a new fic. I didn’t really like this first chapter so I might redo it at some point. ‘Til then if ya got any criticisms or like catch any errors let me know. 
> 
> Don’t forget to comment yo I live for validation.

The life you led up until now was not an exciting one. 

You were the grand archivist of the largest underground library in the Boiling Isles- with the underground aspect being both figurative and literal. It was a dull job, maintaining the collection. Your days were spent organizing new books brought in by your palisman, cleaning, and reading. 

From what you were told it wasn’t always this dull. Through the generations your family was charged with protecting the massive expanse of books from the prying eyes of those who would abuse it. Namely the emperor and his coven. Your father would tell you stories of how he and your mother would cleverly fend off the newly anointed emperor and his soldiers. It was now your duty to guard the archive with your life lest it fell to ruin by the tyrant’s hand. 

In recent years he had doubled down on his searching for the library, but you were confident in your hiding place.

At least until  _ she _ found her way in. 

A silent alarm spell was triggered in the main entrance. You lurched out of your seat, startled- in your decades in guarding this place you never had the alarms go off. The wards you set up usually kept most people away- something was wrong. You summoned your staff and pulled your cloak over your head. With a wave of a hand you dispelled the magic that kept the candles and chandeliers lit. You stared down at the main doors, waiting with baited breath. 

The door burst open with a jarring crash. Your grip tightened as the dust settled to reveal white cloaks and grey masks. The emperor’s coven. They carried conjured weapons and torches as they marched through the remains of your front door into the main floor. Your eyes narrowed as you watched them carefully, trying to gauge their intentions. 

Out of the darkness stepped a tall woman dressed in the coven’s colours. She bore a staff that was stark white with a birdlike palisman. Her hair was long and dark blue against pale skin, her eyes were cyan- almost glowing in the low light. 

“Fan out, we all know what we’re searching for.” The woman instructed cooly. 

The soldiers nodded and spread out across the lobby and began to look for whatever it was they were after. You took this as an opportunity to pick off their forces. Using the darkness to your advantage you stealthily incapacitated the bulk of their forces. Some snared in vines, some knocked unconscious with conjurations, others simply put to sleep through magical means. Leaving only you and the mystery woman. 

You silently approached the figure and with a snap of the fingers you relit all the lights in the room. 

“Stop right there.” You ordered, your voice calm but firm. The woman spun around to face you and immediately took a defensive stance. 

“Who are you?” She demanded sharply, her staff held tight in her hand. 

“I am the grand archivist, guardian of the largest stockpile of knowledge in the boiling isles.” You introduced, tossing your cowl aside, “Now, who are you and what business do you have in my archive?”

“Lilith Clawthorn, leader of the emperor’s coven.” She announced with no small amount of pride, “We are here to seize and destroy all tomes regarding wild magic.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do this Lilith Clawthorn.” You drawled, squaring your shoulders, “I have yet to have a book leave my collection, and I have no intention for you to change that.”

“How unfortunate.” She muttered in exaggerated disappointment, “And here I was hoping for an  _ easy  _ mission.”

She drew a spell circle and shot a bolt of blue fire at you; you were quick to react, dispersing the fire with a spell of your own. While you were occupied with your defensive magic she quickly closed the distance between the two of you. In an instant you were sent careening into the wall, the old oak door frame cracked under the force of impact. You ducked out of the way just in time to dodge the but of her staff that pierced the wood where your chest was. With a shuddering breath you pushed yourself to your feet, ignoring the sharp pain along your back. The staff shot back, returning to its owner's hand. 

You needed to strategize. 

She stalked towards you, her posture straightened and arrogant. You faked doubling over in pain to subtly cast a little bit of plant magic. Roots took hold of her feet and she fell gracelessly to the ground with an indignant noise. You chuckled as you staggered to your feet putting some space between you and her. 

In no time at all she clawed the roots from her legs and resumed her stance. With her staff in her right hand she spun a new circle, this some splintering off into several smaller ones. Light blue energy shot at you in rapid fire and you did your best to evade. 

“I’ll offer you this once and only once,” Lilith taunted, “Join us- let your life’s work do some  _ good  _ for a change.”

Dry, biting laughter tore from your throat. 

“You think your emperor cares about my life’s work?” You asked cynically, “Are so you delusional that you  _ really _ believe he wants to do anything good?”

The raven haired woman’s mask of pleasantries slipped from her face as soon as the words left your mouth. Another spell in the shape of a hand latched itself to the front of your shirt dragging you to the floor. You tried to push yourself up but chains found themselves wrapped around your wrists. You were dragged back up just enough to face her.

“It would do you to hold your tongue.” She snarled viciously. 

An idea struck you in that moment and suddenly you knew how to beat her. 

“Likewise lapdog.” You sneered back, baiting her, “All this talk about  _ dictator _ Belos is making me sick to the stomach.”

Predictably, she lost her temper again and picked you up by the collar of your shirt. She brought her face to yours ready to defend her leader only to be cut off with a sharp headbut to the nose. She fell backwards clutching her now bloody nose and lip. As she lost focus on you, your binds broke away in a cloud of smoke. 

Keeping to your aggression you didn’t give her any chance to recover, creating an abomination made of paper. The abomination roared to life and rushed the staggered Lilith. She drew a hasty spell and launched a fireball at the creature but all the fire did was make it more dangerous. The now burning abomination reared closer and closer before exploding in a puff of loose pages. 

Disoriented, Lilith stuttered in her movements causing her to slip on the mess of pages. You stared down apathetically at her as you prepared to cast one last spell, then she looked up at you through wide eyes. There was something different in her eyes, an emotion you couldn’t quite describe. 

You had a feeling you were going to regret this. 

You sighed heavily as you changed the nature of a spell. The paper around her wrists and legs formed restraints that anchored her to where she sat. She struggled uselessly against your magic but eventually fell slack in resignation. 

“You are dishonouring the titan with this.” She said, panting from the exertion. 

“Hm, I don’t think so.” You sighed, sitting in front of her, “I think sealing away free magic dishonours the titan.”

“You’re wrong.” She remarked bitterly. 

“Maybe I am, who’s to say?” You asked. 

She scoffed petulantly, meeting your gaze with her own. You realized what emotion you saw in them. Desperation. A kind of desperation that was beyond simply following orders; something private- personal. Curiously you leaned closer to her. 

“Why are you here, coven witch?” You inquired.

“I told you: I’m here to seize your hereti-“

“No, no, you misunderstand. Why are  _ you _ here?” She relented slightly, her icy front faltering just enough to catch it, “You’re here for something- something beyond coven business. What is it?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Came her sardonic reply.

“I would actually. I may be willing to help you if I see fit.” 

That gave her pause and her brow furrowed at the offer. For a moment you could almost see the war she was having with herself. You patiently waited for her to finish her internal crisis, a brow raised curiously. 

“I- someone close to me was…. cursed.” She managed to sigh, “I want to heal them, if I can.”

“An admirable goal, for an emperor’s goon.” You remarked, making her face twisted in anger, “Tell me, are you willing to set aside your duty in order to pursue such knowledge?”

She went quiet, painted lips drawn into a tight line. You could tell this was a woman who was resolute in her beliefs. Unaccustomed to questioning them in spite of how unfounded they may have been. Eventually though her shoulders slumped and her head bowed. 

“I suppose if this is what it comes to.” She whispered softly, defeated. 

You gave her a pitying look, letting the paper recede from her limbs. Shock flashed across her features and she rubbed her wrists. You stood up and extended a hand to her. Her eyes flitted from your hand to your face, searching for deception. When she found none she warily took it and let you pull her up. 

“How about we work out a deal.” You offered diplomatically, “So long as you don’t bring your any more of your goons to my doorstep, I’ll allow you to use the library to research this friend of your’s curse.”

“And if I refuse?”

“I’d escort you from the building and move the library elsewhere.” You answered, “It’s your call.”

“Can I at least have some time to think?” She implored. 

“I’m afraid this is a one time only deal.” You supplied dully.

“Fine.” She let out a deep sigh, “I’ll accept the terms of your deal, however if I find nothing of use the deal will be off.”

“That’s unlikely but I agree to your conditions.” 

You drew a circle and held your hand to it. After a beat the raven haired woman reached through the circle and took it, sealing the oath. The light faded and she unclasped your hands. You tapped staff against the stone ground and brought all the grunts you captured to the lobby. 

“Here, you misplaced these.” You said, placing the heap of people on the ground before her. She gave you a humourless smile and thanked you before using magic to send them out the door. 

“I will return next week to see to my studies.” Her words came off as less of a comment and more of a warning. 

You smiled. 

“ _ I look forward to it, Miss Clawthorn. _ ”


	2. First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith returned and spends her first day in the library. Things could have gone worse, things could’ve gone better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aye lads it’s ya boi the OP here to gift you folks a new chapter. Thank you all so much for commenting and I hope you guys have a nice day!

Your mood lifted considerably in the coming days. 

Perhaps you were excited to actually have a regular guest in your library. It may have been someone who might’ve hated your guts but it was a company you sorely needed. So long as she abided by the rules of the deal everything should have been fine. And you had a feeling she was something of a stickler for rules. Speaking of feelings- the ache in your back had just about ebbed away and now you were ready for whatever she could throw at you should the need arise. You doubted you’d need to- of course- because of the deal, though, it couldn’t hurt to be safe. 

True to her word, Lilith returned to your archive in precisely seven days. She strolled through the recently rebuilt door way, minding the scaffolding to the left of her. You hopped down from your perch on the second floor to welcome the dark haired witch. You noticed she ditched the stark white coven robes, now wearing a plain dark grey dress she wore underneath it. 

“Clawthorn.” You greeted, your voice teasing, “Exactly one week later, right to the minute; how startlingly punctual.”

“Archivist.” She returned flatly, “Shall we get this over with?”

“Certainly, but first, I should lay down some ground rules.” You dragged out the vowel in first, “First and foremost- we need to agree to be civil with one another.”

“And that entails…?”

“No saying things with the intention of starting fights; meaning you don’t talk about your coven, I won’t talk about my lack thereof.” You said, “You don’t necessarily have to be nice- you just have to be polite.”

“I suppose I can work with that.” She lamented, “What else?”

“Any books you find are not to leave this building. I’m sure you know now that I do not take kindly to thieves.” You shot her a short glare and she crossed her arms.

“All books must be returned to where you found them unless given permission otherwise.” You prattled off quickly, “Finally, all foods and drinks must be left on a separate table from your reading materials.”

“Will that be all?” 

“For now.” You shrugged, “If you want help finding materials, let me know.”

“Actually, I think that would be helpful.” She said as pleasantly as she could, “Could you direct me to any books on curses and healing?”

“You  _ should _ find books on healing and curses in section six-ten point five.” Your reply came easily, “Here, follow me.”

You led her from the foyer and up the main stairway to the second floor. You past aisle after aisle of tomes on varying subjects. The air between the two of you was tense, silent save for your footsteps. You turned sharply and went down the aisle to the left of you. 

“From here down to the end will have most of what you need.” You gestured to the shelf on your right, “Though, if you want to go into the more technical side of curses, section five-ninety goes into curse theory.”

“Yes, thank you.” She mumbled distractedly, already leafing through a book. 

You rolled your eyes and went about your business. You returned to your loft, retaking your place in your loveseat. You went back to reading the latest literary piece you received. The book was a piece of human fiction that you had purchased from the Owl Lady, a book on witches. It wasn’t the first book you had bought from the Owl Lady- in fact you often requested her to bring the books for you, and she would for, a price of course. 

This week’s novel had a certain prose to it that came off a touch flowery for your taste but you found yourself enjoying it enough after too long. It’s themes of the power of love and friendship were endearing in a way. 

You peeked over your book just in time to catch your guest taking on a large collection of tomes in her arms. The stack teetered slightly, Lilith moved to catch it but over compensated causing them to take her down with them on the way to the floor. Her face soured childishly as she laid sprawled across the tiles. 

“How did I ever manage to almost lose a fight with you?” You chuckled, setting your novel aside to help her, “You should be careful, I've seen many people crushed under the weight of their studies.”

Your attempt of a joke falls flat with the sorceress who only huffed indignantly. With a spell circle drawn the books float weightlessly through the air, bathed in a dim green light. The woman regained her composure and brought herself to her feet. She gathered her materials and glided right past you, not dignifying you with a response. You followed at a respectable distance, curious as to what she had picked out. 

She set the textbooks onto the large table of the study area with a heavy sigh. You cautiously took the seat across from her. She glanced at you but made no comment. Not that she really needed to- the half annoyed glare was barely hidden. You inspected the spines of the books she selected. Curses and Annulments, Advanced Curse Theory, Study of Underground Magics, Advanced Healing Magic- fairly heavy stuff. 

Clearly she wasn’t lying about her friend with a curse. 

The coven leader summoned a well worn, thick journal along with a pen and ink well. She took in a deep breath as grabbed the book at the top of the pile. She moved mechanically, as if in a trance, flipping through pages and jotting down notes. Her writing was as sharp and meticulous as the rest of her disposition- quite frankly you found it kind of unsettling. 

“So what kind of curse is your friend dealing with?” You asked, trying to break the ice. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” She droned, her voice taking on a defensive edge.

“I’m only asking so I can help.” You said firmly, “The sooner you find what you’re looking for the sooner we can finish this agreement and part ways.”

A beat passed silently. 

“It’s a transformation curse- it turns her into an…  _ avian _ beast.” She explained with reluctance, “From what I gather it was a scroll based curse rather than true casting.”

“Have you looked into some books on transformation or beastkeeping magics? Most curses have some kind of branch of magic they’re based on.”

“Yes, but my searches in such subjects turned up inconclusive.” She replied, not looking up from her work. 

“Have you read biographies on other cursed individuals? I would recommend ‘Monstrous Existence’ if you haven’t gone over it.”

“The likes of them are outlawed by the emperor.” Came her clipped answer, “They’re heretical.”

“Yes, well, the emperor’s law doesn’t extend to this place- otherwise you and your group would have burned the place down when you got here.” You tried to mask any venom in your words however the words felt harsh leaving your mouth. You fixed her with a dull glare. You saw a brief flash of remorse in her expression but it was gone in an instant, replaced by bitter indifference.

“And where may I find this biography?” She inquired. 

“Ninty-two. It’s in section A, first floor.” You listed off robotically. You watched her pass you like a storm cloud, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. You remained in your seat until she disappeared down the stairs. Once she was out of sight you took the opportunity to look at her notebook. 

Her writing was fairly neat- smooth cursive script covered the pages front and back. The notes detailed an array of subjects- healing, curses, the healing of curses- nothing malicious as far as you could tell. Your gaze caught on a particular insignia in the upper corner of the page. It was an owl as far as you could tell; the notes below it weren’t particularly forthcoming with any details on what it was used for. Something about it was distantly familiar, you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. 

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Lilith’s footsteps returning up the stairs. 

You hastily scrawled the logo down on some loose parchment before tucking it away safely in your pocket. You returned to your original position leaning back in your chair. You craned your neck to look at the woman who was thankfully more preoccupied with the biography to notice anything out of the ordinary. 

The rest of the evening passed without incident, the dark haired woman seemed content with writing silently. Any attempts at conversation were one-sided or given short responses. Occasionally she’d ask for tomes on a particular subject to which you’d readily provide answers. Before too long it was well into the small hours of the night. You had since returned to your little loft and reclined in the loveseat, nursing a cup of tea. You leaned over the bannister to snuck a glance at your associate and found her slumped over the desk.

She looked to be sleeping. 

With a drawn out sigh you set your mug aside and climbed down and to take a closer look. Sure enough the watch was out like a light, her arms folded under her head. It was strange to see her with such an unguarded expression. You summoned your staff and held it as far as you could and used it to nudge the coven leader. 

“ _ Clawthorn, wake up, you need to go home. _ ” You muttered. The witch wasn’t bothered by your prodding, batting the staff away “ _ C’mon, wake up! _ ” 

You jabbed your staff at her and she bolted up so suddenly she almost fell out of her seat. Her startled expression swiftly switched into that of anger as her cyan eyes settled on you. She looked ready to give you hell but you held up a hand to stop her. 

“Look, it’s very late, you should be getting home now.” You explained, “Can we agree to be too tired to start this here and now?”

She didn’t answer, instead stretching with a groan, letting out a deep breath. 

“What time is it?” Her voice was heavy with fatigue. 

“Four-ish I think.” You offered, “I’m sure you have important business to attend to in the morning so I suggest you go home.”

Lilith grumbled something about a meeting before retrieving her notepad, and looking to the stack of books on the desk. 

“I don’t have the energy to put them back.” She said, gesturing to the textbooks. 

“Don’t worry about it today, just go home.” You urged, pushing her to the exit, “Just don’t make it a habit.”

She thankfully didn’t put up much of a fight, letting you corral her to the entryway. She stumbled a bit over her own feet but you caught her before she slipped. She walked through the threshold, you called out a wry ‘good luck!’ as she retreated. As soon as she left the view you shut the door and put the sealing wards back in place. 

With a tired sigh you rested your back against the large doors. You wanted to go to bed but there was a more pressing issue at hand. You fished the paper from your pocket and examined the drawing on it. 

Time for a little research of your own. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y’all enjoyed this mess so far! Stay safe out there and have a good one!


End file.
